Serious considerations

Wang continues to rescue stray dogs almost every day. He said he did not intend to produce videos updating Chief Huang's condition, but is responding to enthusiastic requests from his followers about the dog's well-being.

"My original intention was to rescue stray animals, not to chase fame. The fame from Chief Huang's story belongs to our city," said Wang.

The dog's celebrity status has also posed some tough questions for the taxi drivers who love her so much — the chief one being someone's proposal to adopt her and their reluctance to part with the animal.

"She has been with us for so long, like family," Zhang said.

His life story is one of struggle and change. He was once a teacher, later worked for a State-owned enterprise, and after the enterprise went bankrupt, became a taxi driver.

"Adoption is possible, but the adopter must guarantee to treat Chief Huang well for her whole life," Zhang said.

Wang believes that if people want Chief Huang to return to the railway station, they should complete the adoption procedures, obtain a dog license, and comply with regulations.

Meanwhile, some government insiders revealed that after the May Day holiday, cultural and tourism proposals related to Chief Huang's fame had been stopped due to concerns about her welfare and overall stray dog management.

Some netizens have suggested the city should capitalize on Chief Huang's fame. "This is more effective than however many advertisements Xuancheng's cultural and tourism department could run. Who could resist such a warm city?" wrote one.

Another said: "Put Chief Huang's logo on the cars of these kindhearted drivers. From now on, choose them when you need a ride!"

Wang said there is a deeper issue to be addressed in the management of the city's stray animals. According to the Xuancheng government's dog management regulations, urban management departments are responsible for supervising and managing dog shelters and capturing stray dogs.

Stray cats and dogs caught by city officers should be neutered and then placed in appropriate institutions, such as stray animal placement centers cooperating with the government, to reduce the explosive growth of stray cats and dogs caused by uncontrolled breeding, Wang said, adding the government should establish public pet hospitals.

"In fact, the proliferation of stray cats and dogs largely stems from abandonment," Wang said, adding that the government should impose a stricter ban on abandoning domestic cats and dogs and raise the threshold for pet ownership as fundamental solutions to the problem.

Wen Qin of Anhui Daily contributed to this story.